Stop by the SAF Registration Desk to pick up your registration materials and purchase tickets for guests to attend meal functions and optional events. Check out the Resource Center for SAF products and services. 

Speaker: Talmage McLaurin, AIFD, Esmeralda Farms

Sponsor: Accent Décor

Join us at our kick off lunch event that will spark your imagination and set the tone for the days ahead! Get inspired for your 2026 product lines with a captivating presentation from trend forecaster Talmage McLaurin, AIFD. With over 30 years of experience translating global influences in home décor and fashion into floral trends, Talmage brings invaluable insights from his work with industry leaders like Pantone and top floral brands.

From his days as creative director of Florists’ Review to his current roles at Esmeralda Farms and Sunshine Bouquet, Talmage has been shaping the floral industry’s future. Discover emerging trends driven by consumer behavior and lifestyle shifts and learn how to use these insights to connect with today’s customer and boost your sales. Don’t miss this opportunity to get ahead of the trends—and get inspired. Lunch will be served.

First-time attendees get an exclusive sneak peek at the Supplier Expo and mix and mingle with other first timers and SAF’s volunteer leadership. 

Browse through dozens of new products and services and get to know the vendors who can answer your questions and point you toward profitable opportunities for your business.  

NEW THIS YEAR!  Every 30 minutes during the Expo, a HIGH VALUE prize from suppliers will be given away. 

Suppliers and Growers: Want to exhibit? For details, visit: safnow.org/partnerships or contact Maura Kenny.  

Reconnect with friends and make new ones at the opening reception hosted by SAF President Oscar Fernandez.

Stop by the SAF Registration Desk to pick up your registration materials and purchase tickets for guests to attend meal functions and optional events. Check out the Resource Center for SAF products and services. 

Speaker: Kate Penn, SAF
Sponsor: Asocolflores

SAF CEO Kate Penn tees up the convention with a high-level overview of the state of the floral industry. Based on the most recent floral industry data, SAF member surveys and dozens of interviews with industry leaders across all sectors, Penn details the high and low points of the past year, challenges and opportunities going into 2026, and what SAF is doing to help the industry address them. 

The spotlight then turns to standout marketing and creativity as SAF announces the winner of its 31st annual Marketer of the Year. This honor recognizes a floral business that raised the bar with an original marketing campaign that generated measurable success — a celebration to inspire the entire industry.

Sponsored by Chrysal Americas and Vases provided by Syndicate Sales

Review more than 3,000 stems of the best flowers and unique plants on the market during one of the industry’s biggest flower and plant competitions. Dozens of growers and breeders from around the world are exhibiting their finest cut flowers, greens, potted flowering plants, bedding plants and foliage for top honors. 

Growers and Breeders: Want to exhibit? Sign up by July 15 at safnow.org/ov or contact Laura Weaver Kern for details. 

Speaker TBA

How can you drive sales with trends? It starts with understanding your customer. Building on Talmage McLaurin’s 2026 Flower Forecast, this session explores how color influences customer motivation, perception and purchasing decisions — and how florists can use that insight to create floral arrangements and experiences that resonate. With curated color palettes, product pairings, flower shop scripts, and in-store activation ideas this highly visual session gives you everything you need to connect trend to transaction.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to align color and design trends with specific customer mindsets
• Practical tools for translating trends into retail moments that drive engagement and sales
• Ways to enhance the in-store experience with scripts, visuals, and product pairings

Panel: Monty Pereira, Watanabe Floral, Inc., Keith Rockcastle, Rockcastle Florist, Other Panelists TBA

Labor is one of the biggest line items in any retail florist’s budget — and it’s surprisingly easy to let it spiral out of control without the right oversight. This session uncovers hidden inefficiencies in your staffing strategy and how to forecast staffing needs with confidence and boost productivity through better planning and workflow. Learn how even small improvements in team efficiency can lead to major gains for your bottom line.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to aim for the right labor percentage – based on your shop’s size, sales volume and staffing structure
• Techniques to forecast staffing needs that align with sales trends and demand
• Simple, practical ways to improve productivity and reduce wasted time

Speaker TBA 

Whether retirement is years away or just around the corner, the time to start thinking about your “next chapter” is now. Successfully transitioning your business requires more than just finding the right successor — it’s about securing your financial future and protecting your legacy. This session covers the essential legal and financial considerations of business succession, including valuation, tax planning, and ownership transfer. Learn how to navigate potential pitfalls and set your business up for a smooth, profitable transition.

What You’ll Learn:

• Understand how to value your business and plan for the financial impact of your exit
• Learn the legal steps to ensure a seamless ownership transfer and avoid future disputes
• Gain strategies for minimizing taxes and protecting your assets during the transition

Speaker TBA 

Can you — and everyone on your team — clearly and confidently articulate your company’s core mission? Do your daily operations reflect that mission? Is your brand still connecting with today’s customer, in today’s economy? An affirmative answer to these questions is more important now than ever: According to a 2024 retail outlook study by the global professional services firm Deloitte, in times of economic uncertainty, consumers are more selective about where they spend money, and they stick with the brands they believe in. In this session, you’ll explore how to build or evolve a brand that stays true to your values while growing with your business. You’ll define your unique value proposition, craft a story that resonates, and learn how to bring your brand to life consistently — from your shop floor to your social feed.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to define your brand identity, core values, and long-term vision
• Ways to communicate your brand consistently across platforms and customer touchpoints in a shifting economy
• Tools for integrating your brand and core values into your daily operations

Speaker TBA 

Feeling burned out? Neglecting the important things in life? In a demanding industry built around beauty and emotion, it’s easy to put yourself last. But when your well-being thrives, so does your work. This session will guide you through practical, experience-based strategies for managing stress, setting meaningful goals, and achieving work-life balance. Through hands-on techniques and a toolbox of ideas to share with staff, attendees will leave with a renewed sense of energy and equipped to thrive in all aspects of life.

What You’ll Learn:

• Wellness practices that help you manage stress and stay focused
• Practical strategies for setting and sticking to personal and professional goals
• Tips to integrate wellness practices into your daily life

Moderator: Kevin McCarthy, Family Flowers   

After SAF Chief Economist Charlie Hall, Ph.D., lays out the big-picture economic trends, it’s your turn to dig in and turn insights into action. During this interactive session you’ll share your reactions, ask questions, and hear from fellow attendees to find smart, real-world strategies for navigating what’s ahead. Whether you’re still processing what it all means or already brimming with ideas, this is your time to connect, reflect and build actionable solutions that work for your business.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to translate economic trends into practical next steps for your floral business
• Real-world strategies and solutions shared by your peers in the industry
• Ways to overcome common challenges and apply big ideas at a local level

 Speaker TBA

Inflation, tariffs and rising costs are squeezing margins like never before — and every stem counts. How you buy, manage and care for fresh product isn’t just a routine — it’s a frontline defense against profit loss. In this session, learn how smart inventory management, better care and handling, smarter buying and consistent employee training can help you waste less and earn more.  Whether you’re a small or a high-volume florist, these proven strategies will help you stop the shrink — and see the savings.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to train staff on best practices for storage, hydration, and transportation
• Practical techniques to reduce spoilage and extend product life
• Tools and routines to improve inventory turnover and minimize waste

Speaker: Ben Heroman, Billy Heroman’s Flowerland

Every owner needs time to focus on growth, recharge or just take a day off — but that only happens when your team can run things without you. This session dives into the systems, structures and training strategies that turn your team into confident, capable leaders who can handle the day-to-day operations and uphold your standards. Learn how to delegate with confidence, create clear expectations, and build a business that thrives — even when you’re not there.

What You’ll learn:

• Learn how to identify and develop dependable leaders within your team
• Discover systems and practices that support confident delegation and operational consistency
• Frameworks to instill accountability and build daily autonomy

Sponsor: Got Flowers

The industry’s Next Gen members (age 45 and under) get some real face time networking with each other at this special happy hour.

Join us for food, drinks, and fun games as we raise money to support SAFPAC the only national political action committee dedicated to advocating for the floral industry. Plus: 100% of your ticket is used to help elect floriculture-friendly members of Congress. 

Sign up available soon. 

Stop by the SAF Registration Desk to pick up your registration materials and purchase tickets for guests to attend meal functions and optional events. Check out the Resource Center for SAF products and services. 

Sponsored by Chrysal Americas and Vases provided by Syndicate Sales

Review more than 3,000 stems of the best flowers and unique plants on the market during one of the industry’s biggest flower and plant competitions. Dozens of growers and breeders from around the world are exhibiting their finest cut flowers, greens, potted flowering plants, bedding plants and foliage for top honors. 

Growers and Breeders: Want to exhibit? Sign up by July 15 at safnow.org/ov or contact Laura Weaver Kern for details. 

Sponsored by: Certified American Grown, Exclusive sponsor of prize money Smithers Oasis, Coordinated by PFCI 

Watch as some of the nation’s best floral designers are given the same flowers, foliage and supplies — and just two hours to create the surprise challenge. During the last hour, the competition’s commentators and coordinators talk about the featured products and the challenge. The winner receives the Sylvia Cup trophy, $3,000 and a complimentary registration to next year’s SAF Annual Convention. First Runner-Up wins $500; Second Runner-Up gets $250. Winners will be announced at the Stars of the Industry Awards Experience. 

Designers: Want to compete? Sign up by July 7 at safnow.org/sylvia-cup.  Contact Laura Weaver Kern with questions.

Speaker: Laura Walsh, PFCI, Smithers Oasis

Your business can’t afford passive teams. You need thinkers, doers and bold decision-makers at every level. This session is a wake-up call for owners and managers ready to ditch the status quo and build a culture where leadership, innovation, and initiative aren’t exceptions—they’re the norm. Get ready to fire up your team and fuel real momentum.

What You’ll Learn:

• Proven methods to spark ownership and action across your team
• How to turn smart risk-taking into a growth engine, not a gamble
• A blueprint for building a culture where leadership shows up everywhere

Speakers: Jennifer Barnard, FiftyFlowers, Other speakers TBA

Struggle to consistently train staff in sales and customer service? Especially in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment where time, confidence, and resources are limited? Enter AI, the most powerful training partner for your team. This session explores how floral businesses can use AI tools to level up sales and customer service skills through roleplaying, real-time feedback, and custom scripts. From simulating tough customer conversations to practicing upselling techniques, discover practical, accessible ways to use AI to create consistent, confident team communication.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to use AI to simulate real-world customer interactions for training and practice
• Tools for generating scripts, prompts, and talk tracks tailored to your business
• How AI can support continuous skill development and onboarding for new hires

Speaker TBA

Your entry-level designers don’t need years of experience to make a big impact — they need the right start. This session focuses on building practical training programs for new hires with little to no floral background, so they can contribute to production efficiently and confidently. Learn how to equip them with essential skills, reinforce consistency and strengthen your team from the ground up.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to build hands-on training programs for employees with no prior design experience
• The role of mentorship and cross-training in accelerating skill-building and confidence
• How to use feedback and simple tools to improve training over time and keep pace with your shop’s needs

Sponsored by: Certified American Grown, Exclusive sponsor of prize money Smithers Oasis, Coordinated by PFCI 

Watch as some of the nation’s best floral designers are given the same flowers, foliage and supplies — and just two hours to create the surprise challenge. During the last hour, the competition’s commentators and coordinators talk about the featured products and the challenge. The winner receives the Sylvia Cup trophy, $3,000 and a complimentary registration to next year’s SAF Annual Convention. First Runner-Up wins $500; Second Runner-Up gets $250. Winners will be announced at the Stars of the Industry Awards Experience. 

Designers: Want to compete? Sign up by July 7 at safnow.org/sylvia-cup.  Contact Laura Weaver Kern with questions.

Speakers TBA

What happens when growth demands more than just hustle? When it means taking risks, embracing discomfort or rethinking the way you’ve always done business?

In this candid, cross-industry panel, a florist, wholesaler, and grower share the real stories behind their biggest leaps — scaling up, reinventing their business models, and diversifying in the face of uncertainty. You’ll hear what worked, what didn’t, and what they’d do differently. Whether you’re feeling stuck or scaling fast, this session will challenge and inspire you to think bigger, act bolder, and grow smarter.

What You’ll Learn:

• How successful floral professionals overcame growth challenges — and what they’d do differently
• Inspiration to scale, reinvent or diversify your business
• What it takes to embrace change, take smart risks, and grow on your own terms

Moderator: Denise LaFrenier, Family Flowers

Large corporations may win on salary — but we’ve got heart, beauty and creativity on our side. In this lively, idea-packed session, attendees swap their favorite non-paycheck perks that keep teams happy, loyal and thriving. Think flexible hours, unexpected treats, growth opportunities and more. No idea is too small or too quirky — bring your best, borrow a few, and leave with a perk playbook you can actually use.

What You’ll Learn:

• Discover low-cost, high-impact perks that boost morale and retention
• Learn how small gestures and creative benefits can build a loyal, motivated team
• Walk away with a crowd-sourced list of real ideas you can implement right aways

Speakers: Vonda LaFever, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, Flower Clique and Tim Farrell, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, Teleflora will be co-presenting

With consumers investing more in personalized, meaningful tributes than ever before, memorial and funeral work is a powerful opportunity to grow a consistent, profitable segment of your business. Explore how to upsell with sensitivity, leverage celebration of life services and increase your impact — and your bottom line — with thoughtful, yet efficient, design choices. From working with your existing fresh flower inventory and quick-turn design hacks to sales, service and delivery strategies, you’ll learn how to streamline production without sacrificing beauty, meaning or quality — all while boosting efficiency every step of the way.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to upsell funeral arrangements with empathy and confidence
• Design tips and hacks to speed up production and cut costs
• Delivery practices that uphold your shop’s professionalism and care

Speaker TBA 

Are you using your gut more than the numbers when making big business decisions? Learn how to use AI to extract insights from your data systems and apply them across your business. From analyzing financial reports and forecasting sales to refining marketing campaigns and improving customer retention, you’ll discover how to use data to guide your business decisions.

What You’ll Learn:

• The best AI tools for data and analysis
• How to use your POS and CRM data to analyze financial reports, forecast sales, segment customers, and plan ahead
• Actionable ways to translate financial and customer data into smart, everyday strategies

Sponsor:   Teleflora 

Join us for a revamped Awards Experience as we celebrate and honor some of the most accomplished people in the floral industry.  Following the Awards ceremony enjoy dinner, conversation and dancing.

Get a behind the scenes look at a progressive retailer in the Phoenix area. Tour locations to be announced.

Details:  

• Additional fee to attend: $119 per person.  Sign up on the registration form.
• Continental breakfast and transportation included.

Speakers: Sarah LoBue, AIFD, CFD, PFCI, Main Street Florist, Kelsey Thompson, AIFD, CFD, PFCI, Bloom Floral

Ready to level up your social media game? This session takes a high-level, strategic look at how to get real results from your online presence. From defining goals and targeting the right audience to budgeting, content planning, and tracking success, we’ll explore the tools and tactics that make social worth the effort. You’ll also learn how to use AI to streamline your strategy and boost performance — plus, participate in hands-on activities to start building your best plan yet.

Details:  

• Additional fee to attend: $199 per person.  Sign up on the registration form.
• Continental breakfast and breaks included.